PILLARS OF FAITH AND GLOBAL PEACE

The Arabs of the desert say, ‘We believe.’ Say, “You have not believed yet; but rather say, ‘We have accepted Islam,’ for the true belief has not yet entered into your hearts.” But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from your deeds Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. [49:15]

The problems with which the world is faced today are many and varied and have complicated aspects. They may be approached from various directions and may be discussed at different planes. It will be agreed that one of the most important approaches that can be made to these problems is on the basis of religion. Indeed it is essential that these problems should be studied on that basis and that the results of that study should be availed of towards working out their solutions. It is a matter of great satisfaction. It is in line with this that I intend presenting before you the discussion on the topic: PILLARS OF FAITH AND GLOBAL PEACE.

From the verse of the Holy Quran I recited at the beginning. It is very clear that while it is one thing to accept Islam or, in other word, to be a Muslim; it is quite another to be a believer. And as the religion of Islam is built on five pillars, faith (ايمان) is based on six pillars. Comparing the two, i.e. Islam and faith in Islam, one would see that responsibility becomes more after becoming a Muslim.

Belief in these pillars is well integrated and indicated in the Holy Quran, although through different pages and context. For instance, Allah says:

O ye who believe! believe in Allah and His Messenger, and in the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger, and the Book which He revealed before it. And whoso disbelieves in Allah and His angels, and His Books, and His Messengers, and the Last Day, has surely strayed far away. [4:138]

From the above verse, only five objects or pillars of belief have been mentioned: Allah, Angels, Books, Messenger, and the Last Day. This should not be misunderstood; for scanning through the pages of the Holy Quran, we come across the essence of belief in the sixth pillar- Decree of Allah. And this has been explained in different words like Amr, Qadhaa and Qadr.

However, in a very lengthy hadith which is reported as a conversation between Arch Angel Jubril and the Holy Prophet (saw) in the presence of the pure Companions has succinctly captured all the instructions of the Holy Quran on the pillars of faith. 

Narrated by Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar bin al-Khaṭṭāb, (Allāh be pleased with him): said the Holy Prophet (peace of Allāh be on him and His blessings), “The requirements of Faith are that thou should believe in Allāh and in His Angels and in His Books and in His Prophets and in the Last Day, i.e., the Day of Requital, and that thou should also believe in Allāh’s determination of good and in His determination of evil.

At this juncture, a very important question that may be troubling the mind of the reader is: How do these pillars affect the Global Peace? This question shall now be attended to. 

Belief in Allah

Many of today's problems derive from the fact that the world in which we live is rapidly becoming one world. Mankind must perforce learn to live close together in intimate contact with each other. In other words, they must become a true brotherhood. This requires many adjustments. A faith, if it is to fulfill man’s needs of today, must, therefore, transcends tribal, national, racial and cultural limits, and must speak to men at a universal level. Islam does that. The Qur'an opens with the verse: All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. (Ch. 1: V2).

Commenting on the Surah Al-Fatiha referred to above, the Holy Founder of Ahmadiyya, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as of Qadian writes:

In Surah Fatihah God Almighty has set forth four of His attributes, namely, Rabb-ul-‘Alamin, Rahman, Rahim and Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din. The order in which they are mentioned is the natural order of these four attributes and they are manifested in this order. Divine grace is manifested in the world in four types. The first is the most general grace. This is the absolute grace which perpetually envelops everything from the heavens to the earth without distinction of animate or inanimate. The coming into being of everything from non-existence and its fullest development is through this grace. Nothing is outside of it. All souls and bodies were manifested and are manifested through it and all were developed and are developed through it. This grace is the very life of the universe. Were it to be withdrawn for an instant the universe would come to an end; and had it not been for this grace, there would have been no creation. In the Holy Qur’an this grace is named Rububiyyat and by virtue of it God is called Rabb-ul-‘Alamin, as is said at another place:

وهو رب كل شيء

God is the Rabb of everything. (6:165)

Nothing in the universe is devoid of His Rububiyyat. So the attribute of Rabb-ul-‘Alamin is mentioned first of all in Surah Fatihah and… of all the attributes of grace, this has natural priority, both because it comes into manifestation before the other attributes of grace and because it is the most general in its scope, inasmuch as it comprehends everything whether animate or inanimate. [Essence of Islam, Vol 1, pg 68-69]

 It is the faith in this Allah that has been praised for being the Lord of the entire world that the first pillar of faith underscores.

In addition, the present worldwide head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad^atba, in his exposition of ‘Islamic Solution for World Peace’ at Montage Beverly Hills, CA, United States on May 11th 2013, has beautifully dilated on the essence of Allah being the Lord of all the worlds. Hear him:

The Quran was revealed by Allah to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and from the very first verse of its very first chapter the Quran has given a message of peace. The first verse of the Quran reads:

“All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.”

This verse means that the God who Muslims worship, is the One God, who sustains and nourishes everything and everyone without any distinction. He fulfills all of the needs of His Creation. In other words, He is the God of the Christians, the God of the Jews, the God of the Hindus and indeed He even gives nourishment and provides to those who do not believe in His existence.

Whenever I reflect upon this particular point, I realise that I believe in that One God who is the Lord of all nations, all races and all religions, and so it becomes impossible that I could ever develop any hatred in my heart for any nation, any race or any religion. In this context I would like to say that my sympathies and my prayers are with the victims of the recent Boston attack. We fully condemn that attack.

A Muslim has been commanded by God Almighty to pray five times a day and to recite the opening chapter of the Quran in each unit of prayer. And so, at the very least, a Muslim must repeat the prayer that His Lord is the ‘Lord of all of the Worlds’ at least thirty-two times each and every day.

The entire world is God’s Creation and He loves His Creation dearly. Thus the reason we praise the ‘Lord of all the Worlds’ and repeat this prayer so many times each day is so that we realise and accept the beauty of all people and all nations because they are all part of God’s Creation. When the beauty and merit of something is accepted, then it is impossible to bear hatred or malice towards it, rather love and compassion shine forth.

If this point is understood, then the question cannot even arise in the heart of a true Muslim that he should bear enmity, ill-will or hatred towards any of God’s Creation.

This is why the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who had the greatest insight and understanding of God’s Word, used to recite the words “All Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the Worlds” not just in his obligatory prayers, but also in the countless voluntary prayers he used to offer. More than anyone else, his heart was consumed by love for all and was entirely free from any form of hatred or spite.

Belief in angels:

The existence of angels is a universally accepted doctrine in different countries and different religions. However, they are sometimes discussed under different titles, the distinction being only of nomenclature. Similarly, the nature of angels is understood differently among the followers of different religions. Islam speaks of angels as celestial beings of a spiritual nature who have their own entity as persons. The major role they play is the transmission of messages from God to human beings. Angels are also responsible for controlling and maintaining the laws of nature. Virus and bacteria are governed, organized and maintained by specific angels, who work in harmony with each other to maintain a perfect balance. Similarly, eco-systems are not accidental or chaotic, but are regulated by the invisible, spiritual beings that we call angels.

According to the Holy Quran, each person is allocated two Angels for the recording of his/her work. The Holy Quran says:

When the two Recording angels record the deeds of men, one sitting on the right and the other on the left. [50:18]

In view of the above, it is clear that all our doings are being recorded for Allah to pay us back at the appointed time. Therefore, it is very important to always have it in mind that for us to enjoy peace and tranquility, we have to watch what we do that would be recorded by Angels and transmit to Allah the Almighty.

Belief in Books

Let us now turn to the third article of faith, which is the belief in the books. Muslims are required to believe not only in the divine scripture revealed to the Holy Founder of Islam, which is called the Quran, but it is essential for every Muslim to believe in all such divine revelations as were vouchsafed to other prophets, from wherever and whichever age. It is an essential part of a Muslim's belief that if anyone professes belief only in the divine origin of the Quran, and refuses to acknowledge the divine origin of other books, such as the Old Testament and the New Testament etc., his profession of Islam would be invalidated.

This belief provides the only foundation upon which the unity of man can be built on earth, in accordance with his belief in the Unity of God. It removes the root cause responsible for inter-religious disharmony and mistrust; and which in turn establishes global peace. 

Belief in Prophets

The fourth fundamental article of faith in Islam is belief in all the prophets. This article is in fact a logical conclusion to the third one. The same philosophy as underlies the belief in all books also necessitates belief in all the prophets.

This belief in principle in the truth of the founding prophets and also the minor prophets of other religions is a unique declaration of the Quran, absent in all other divine books. It throws light on the universality of creation as well as on the universality of Islam itself. If the Quranic claim that the teachings of the Quran are for the entire world is true, then it has to recognise the truth of all prophets. Otherwise the followers of so many different religions will not find any connecting bridge between themselves and Islam.

The recognition of the truth of all books and the recognition of the truth of all prophets is a revolutionary declaration which has many benefits for man as a whole. Among other things, it powerfully paves the way for inter-religious peace and harmony. How can one be at peace with the followers of other religions if one considers them to be impostors and if one monopolises the truth only for the religious divines of one's own faith?

Belief in the Last Day

Belief in the Last Day which must inevitably follow death, when every individual will be requited for the good or bad deeds he performed in this life. If everyone ardently belief in the concept of reward or punishment of deeds after death, the way and manner of thinking and doings would be properly tailored towards the creation and maintenance of peace and harmony either immediate or global society.

Belief in Divine Decree

He to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And He has taken unto Himself no son, and has no partner in the kingdom, and has created everything, and has ordained for it its proper measure. [25:3]

Belief in the orderly existence of good and evil which is operating in the world, in the form of a Divine law. It means, in other words, believing that the law of nature and the law of religion (Sharī‘at) are both divinely-devised laws and God alone is the Founder and Guardian of this material and spiritual universe. He it is Who has laid down the principle for everything, whether of a physical or a spiritual nature, that certain actions lead to good results while certain other actions yield evil consequences as a matter of course. This belief is inherently and latent in the nature of every man. This makes him to think and know the consequence of his respective deed and endeavour. If he pursues the right course, it results in the advancement of the global society. If his efforts are towards the wrong cause, he faces the evil end of his work. However, it is the decree of God that brings about the respective result. If every man thinks and belief in the direction of this fundamental pillar of faith, without doubt, each action would always be considered and reconsidered before it is embarked upon. This is what was absent at the time of bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki that resulted in the devastating World War II. It was also absent earlier; it resulted in World War I.

Above all, belief in Allah the Almighty is the foremost. Every other pillar of belief relies on ايمان بلله   Holy Prophet^saw was reported to have said on this point:

عن ابي ذر رضي الله عنه عن النبي صل الله عليه وسلم قال : الايمان بضع وسبعون او بضع وستون شعبة: فافضلها قول لا اله الا الله

It is only attaching with Allah that will bring about peace in the world.

Thank you for your attention.